A Different Focus

  "We're Not Your Traditional Community Association Law Firm."

  In the past five years, the practice of law and, more   specifically, the relationship between attorney and client has   undergone a fundamental transformation. Clients have become   more sophisticated in their dealings with law firms demanding   more accountability from their attorneys and more value for   their dollar. One of the major complaints against lawyers is that   they charge too much for their services. With the time a lawyer   spends on a matter being the major criteria for billing, the   complaints about high legal cost are, in reality, a criticism that   lawyers are not efficient or productive, or, at the very least,   have little incentive to minimize the time spent because it would   diminish the fees they can charge. Indeed, to be fair to this   new client perspective, up front monthly billing does discourage   lawyer efficiency and the incentive to provide cost-effective   service. Most importantly, a client, under this method of billing,   must accept all of the risk, including how efficient a lawyer   chooses to be in accomplishing a legal objective.

  "We're Changing the Rules of the Game."

  It is for this reason that, for the last several years, we have   asked the question, “Is monthly billing, based upon the time a   lawyer spends on a matter, the best and fairest way to set the   value of legal services?” From most attorneys’ points of view,   billing a client every month based upon time spent may seem   appropriate and advantageous. From a client’s point of view,   however, “time” is not what clients feel they are buying when   they consult with a lawyer. Clients want favorable results,   solutions and benefits. Moreover, any billing method that does   not depend exclusively on time spent as a measure of value   creates an incentive for a lawyer to be efficient and obtain a   quicker resolution of the legal matter being handled. In other   words, if you pay an attorney when he accomplishes a client’s   objective, the client will more often receive value because of   the incentive placed upon the attorney through his assumption   of the risk to accomplish the client’s legal objective.

  "A Very Different Approach. For Better Results."

  It is predicated upon the above assumption that, several years   ago, we retooled Gammon & Associates to enable the Firm to   assume more of the monetary risk traditionally associated with   community association legal work and to pass on these savings   to the client. By reconstructing the Firm, its personnel   requirements, as well as its information management system,   the Firm has become a self-contained and efficient legal agent   for community associations that is able to depart from the   traditional method of uncontrolled billable hours and   accommodate our expanding clientele base by offering a variety   of cost effective billing methods.

  By utilizing our result oriented billing programs, legal fees   incurred by a community association are typically not invoiced   by Gammon & Associates until we collect money from the   homeowner. In other words, under one of our unique billing   formats, Gammon & Associates, in most instances, does not   invoice legal fees which have been incurred until we perform.   This result driven billing approach helps to ensure that a client   does not get caught in the situation of paying out more in legal   costs than they actually recover.

  "Our Foundation - Adding Value to the Attorney-Client   Relationship."

  By agreeing to invoice legal fees incurred for a matter, not in   the month in which the legal fee was incurred, but, rather,   when the sums are collected from the homeowner responsible   for the debt, we, in essence, “partner” with our clients such   that we share in the risk of accomplishing the legal objective.   By sharing the risk of achieving a legal objective with the   association, the delay in performing a legal task that an   association may have experienced in the past should be reduced   and the likelihood of an objective being accomplished in a timely   and cost effective manner is enhanced. This is true because we   recover our fees, in part, only if the objective is accomplished.

  As you can surmise from our approach to the practice of law,   adding value to the attorney-client relationship by means of our   unique “partnering” concept ensures that our clients receive,   through our result oriented billing, timely, cost effective   solutions to their legal problems. As importantly, the   “partnering” concept ensures that the Firm maintains an   accountability to, as well as an engaged presence with, our   clients. This is the foundation upon which Gammon & Associates   has been built and will continue to grow. This is the substance   from which long-term relationships are constructed and a   central reason as to why we routinely attend board of directors   meetings free of charge in order to provide insight and guidance   on specific issues facing a community.

  Choosing a legal provider for a community association can be a   difficult task considering the time consuming nature of the   volunteer position known as community association director.   However, the point of these paragraphs is to express to you   that not all law firms are created equal. In the next ten years,   those firms with vision who choose to add value to the   attorney-client relationship will thrive. The Firm adamantly   believes that the concept upon which we have created this Firm   and through which we provide our services is merely a present   glimpse of what the "business of law" will be in the future.

  Gammon & Associates offers a compelling series of reasons to   build a relationship with our winning staff. Contact us today at   (713) 964-5340 to receive free, no obligation information by mail   or to speak with a representative about how we can assist your   community in meeting its objectives or e-mail us at   info@gammonlaw.com.

    
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